911 Christina's Call
Location: Rock Hill, South Carolina Date: February 23 and 24, 1992 Story On the night of February 23, 1992, dispatcher Marilyn Jamison was at work at the York County Sheriff's Department in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Her shift had been uneventful until around 7pm when a frightened young woman named Angela Poole and her seven-year-old daughter, Christina, rushed into the station. "She said, 'I don't know what to do. My husband is trying to kill me,'" said Marilyn. Angela gave Marilyn her name and where she lived. "She was in the process of getting a divorce and he had chased her into the sheriff's office. He was behind her. I knew she was telling me the truth," said Marilyn. Angela was nervous and shaking. Another dispatcher, Dani Reynolds, told her that her name sounded familiar and she was sure this was true because she had had problems with her estranged husband, Tad, before. Lt. Willis Gregory briefly spoke with him. Marilyn got him to escort Angela home and go check out her house. The next evening, Angela returned home from work with Christina and her four-year-old son, Michael. "When we got home, my mom told us to go play. We went into my room and Mom went down into her bedroom and that's when it started," said Christina. Angela went into the bathroom to wash her hands and gasped in horror when she saw Tad behind her back and they started arguing. She went into Christina's room and saw her children coloring in a book. "She took and turned the book around and it said, 'Call 911,'" said Christina. Angela and Tad continued arguing while Christina went down to the kitchen to call 911. Marilyn Jameson, who they met the night before, took the call. "It was a child on the phone and I couldn't make out what she was saying. Once we heard the location, it put up Red Flags. That little girl and her mother are in trouble," said Marilyn. Lt. Willis Gregory, who had escorted Angela home the night before, was 12 miles away when he was dispatched to the scene. "Domestic abuse calls are the most dangerous calls we go through," said Gregory. Marilyn asked Christina to speak to Angela and told her not to hang up. Angela took the phone from Christina and spoke to Marilyn while she hugged her children tight and tried not to look at Tad. She asked Angela if he was harming her or if he had a gun and she said that she hoped that he didn't have one. Dani Reynolds, who they also met the night before, was at the console next to Marilyn. "I'd seen her, actually talked with her, and knew that she was crying for help that night. I just couldn't get them there fast enough," said Dani. Marilyn could hear Angela and Tad arguing in the background and then got disconnected. "I wasn't giving up and so I called them back," said Marilyn. Angela answered the phone and told her not to hang up. She told Marilyn that she didn't do it. Tad did. Marilyn could hear her and the children screaming in the background. Christina took the phone and spoke to Dani. She told her that Tad took a knife, stabbed Angela, and escaped. Angela was laying on the floor in a pool of blood and Christina had blood all over her fingers and shoes. "I just kept asking her small questions just to keep her calm enough to lead me through it," said Dani. She told Christina that they already dispatched an ambulance and asked if her if she was hurting. "It amazed me to know how helpful she was to me and the officers," said Dani. Angela moaned and told Christina that she might die. It took sixteen minutes for Gregory and another officer to reach Angela's house. He walked into the bedroom and saw her all covered in blood. "I've never seen anything so bad in my life. I've got a six-year-old daughter and five-month-old son," said Gregory. A police officer escorted Christina and Michael out of the house and put them in his squad car for safety. Within 30 minutes of the attack, Piedmont Medical EMS led by paramedic David Gregory arrived on the scene. "She was bleeding so bad, we used every bandage we had to cover her wounds," said David. Angela was transported by helicopter to Carolina's Medical Center where a trauma team, led by Dr. Robert Munson, immediately worked on her. With the support of her parents and brother, she spent three weeks in the hospital to recover. She underwent surgery and extensive therapy to regain full use of her hands. After Angela recovered, she got a divorce, and changed her name back to Angela Jackson. "People asked if my little girl called 911 and I said, 'Yeah. That's my little girl,'" said Angela. When she came home from the hospital, she gave Christina a gold bracelet, labeled the front "Christina", and the back "Hero 2-24-92". Tad was subsequently convicted with assault and battery in attempt to kill and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Angela has told her story to church groups, little girls, and college students to let them know about the warning of danger signs. "Don't keep it to yourself. Let somebody know. There's organizations, social workers, and counselors," said Marilyn. "To all the people that saved my life, thank you from the bottom of my heart," said Angela. Category:1992 Category:South Carolina Category:Stabbings Category:Bleeding Category:Crimes Category:Kid Heroes